Fossil Fighter Champions: The Fair Equinas
by pokecharmer007
Summary: Gwen is your average 14 year old girl who dreams to be a top Fossil Fighter like her father and brother. But when she enters the Caliosteo Cup, an evil lurks behind every corner and a secret surrounding her will be uncovered. Will Gwen and her friends find a way to stop this evil? Find out in Fossil Fighter Champions: The Fair Equinas!
1. Start of It All

**~Chapter 1: Start of It All~**

_Moving to a new place isn't always fun. You have to get used to an unfamiliar place, try to socialize and worst of all, try to make some friends. This won't be easy when you're a heterochromia girl with an inferiority complex and the fact that your father and brother are both well-known Fossil Fighters._

_In other words, being the new girl is no piece of cake. That's how Gwendolyn Hunter, or Gwen as she likes to be called, felt when she first moved to a small town in the States. Gwen never really did fit in with the rest of the kids in town as she felt different; what with her different colored eyes and the faint diamond marking on her forehead. What made it worst is that the kids started calling her names such as "Freak", "Creepy", "Weirdo" and some other names while shunning her away. If she had felt worse before, she felt 100 times more now._

_But that all changed when one boy held out a hand to her. She was about eight when they first met; by the town's central park, her sitting under a tree being shaded from the summer sun while the other children played games. One light-brown haired boy with bright blue eyes came by to her tree and sat down beside her, making the girl looked at him in confusion._

_"You seem kind of lonely so I thought you might need some company, and it's hot out there." the boy replied, noticing the girl's confusion plastered on her face._

_"...You're not scared of me?" Gwen asked._

_"Why would I?"_

_"Don't I... look weird? I mean, my eyes doesn't scare you?"_

_"Nudder. If anything, I think they looked cool." the boy beamed. Gwen felt something swell in her chest, as if like a balloon being blown. "Hi, I'm Todd. Todd Raptor. Nice to meet you." the boy, Todd, greeted as he held out a hand._

_"Gwendolyn. Gwendolyn Hunter, but you can call me Gwen."_

**XXXX**

Gwen smiled at the memory as she gazed into the beautiful valley in front of her. Six years had gone by as the two of them remained the best of friends they were back then. Right now, they're on a mountain range just outside the town when Todd had heard rumors of real live Vivosaurs running around the area.

Vivosaurs are prehistoric dinosaurs revived from fossils by a sort of advanced technology and are friendly towards humans. Well, not always. Anyways, Vivosaurs have taken several traits from their foundation ground, and as such are no longer dinosaurs, but a transformed version of dinosaurs. Their names are shortened versions of the scientific names of the dinosaurs they were. Vivosaurs can be carried around as Dino Medals, with a team of up to five at a time, but only three can fight at once. People who fight with Vivosaurs are called 'Fossil Fighters'.

Gwen enjoyed the slight breeze as it slightly lifted her golden-brown hair that is tied to a side-ponytail with a few strands covering her right eye, only exposing her left sapphire-blue.

"Hey, Gwen! How long are you going to stand around and stare at the scenery, Huh?" Todd yelled. He was getting impatient as Gwen ran towards him, "Quit stalling and get over here, Gwen!"

Gwen whined a bit as she reached. She knew Todd knew that she never likes being pressured.

Todd jumped up and down excitedly, "Man, I never thought I'd get to see a Vivosaur with my very own eyes! What if we find a Compso? a Raptor? Or better, a T-Rex!"

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Gwen said as she walked two steps ahead. "Race you!"

"Hey! No fair!" Todd yelled as Gwen sped away. "You had a head start."

**XXXX**

The next moment, we found our heroes at the summit with Todd sprawled on the ground while Gwen looking around the area, barely panting for breath. Two minutes later, Todd joined Gwen in the search.

"Hey..." he started, "There's no Vivosaurs here! Someone must have been lying to me!" he stomped his feet angrily.

Gwen sighed, "Maybe they're hiding somewhere else-" a huge tremor on the ground cut her off, startling the two.

"Wh-what was that?! What's g-going on?!" Todd exclaimed as they whipped around towards a bunch of bushes as it rustled.

Gwen took a cautious step forward towards the bushes while Todd took one shaky step back. "I think there's something over there..."

A second tremor happened as the bush shook violently and a rush of blue came charging out.

"Th-that's an... Allosaurus!" Todd screeched. The massive Vivosaur raised its head to the sky and roared.

"Run for it!" the two teens ran as fast as they could, weaved through the trees but came to a s stop when they happened upon the edge of a cliff. "Todd, get behind me!" Gwen said as she stepped in front of Todd with her arms stretched out, having one of her courageous moments.

Todd gasped, "G-Gwen?"

"I'm not going down without a fight!"

The Allosaurus was approaching them fast as its sharp teeth glinted menacingly. Gwen gritted her teeth, awaiting the small silver of chance when a screech broke the silence. Todd turned around, "EEEK! A Pteranodon!"

"Wait, Todd. There's someone on it!" Gwen pointed out.

"Quick, jump on! Both of ya'!" there was indeed a man on the back of the flying reptile. He held out his hand as the flying reptile got in close.

"Huh?" Todd said questionably.

"Get a move on, now!" the man yelled again.

"B-But-"

"Move it, Todd!" Gwen cut him off as she grabbed his hand, and ran. With a huge leap and Todd's screaming, Gwen managed to grab the man's hand and he pulled both behind him.

The man smiled, "Yeee-haw! Hold on, pards!" he directed the Ptera away from the mountain. At the edge, the Allosaurus roared, angered that his prey had gotten away.

The man sighed, "You folks alright?"

Gwen looked behind her to see her best friend nodding, "Yes, we're fine!"

He nodded in reply, then turned back toward the base of the mountain. After landing, the man walked them back to the path where they first scaled the mountain.

Todd suddenly gasped, "OH MY GOSH! Y-you're... Joe!"

The man grinned and nodded, "Yep, that's me. Surprised you know my handle, kid."

"Of course I know you!" Todd said happily, "You're the greatest Fossil Fighter in the world! Your Fossil Battle skills are legendary! You're Joe Wildwest! I can't believe I'm actually talking to you! This is amazing!" He stopped himself from bursting from over-excitement, "...I must sound like a real nerd, huh?"

Joe chuckled good-heartedly, "Not at all, partner! It's nice to meet 'cha!"

Gwen stepped forward, "Thank you for saving us, Mr. Wildwest sir-"

"_GRAAAAWL!_"

A loud roar shattered the moment as the three turned and saw the Allosaurus trekking around the mountainside.

"Don't tell me it followed us!" Gwen exclaimed as Todd squeaked in fright.

Joe frowned, "That Allosaurus is madder than a sack full'a hornets. We can't let it leave the mountain all riled up, or folks'll be in heap'a trouble like you two were."

"So what do we do?" Todd asked.

"Ain't no other choice. We gotta subdue the critter in a Fossil Battle."Joe then turned to Todd, "How about it, small fry? Think you up for it?" Todd's face went blank as he and Gwen exchanged looks, "I'll even loan ya one'a my Dino Medals for the fight. So how 'bout it?"

Instantly, Todd held his stomach, "Ooooooh! Oh, my stomach! It hurts real bad... It must be that rotten banana I ate this morning... Yeah, that's it. Oowww!"

'Todd...' Gwen sweat-dropped at his bad excuse.

"I really wanna fight, but I don't think I can. So you'll have to fight in my place, Gwen!"

"M-Me?!"

Joe blinked his eyes for a sec before turning to Gwen, "Huh. Well, fair enough. Guess I'll be lending you my Dino Medal instead." Joe then rummaged into his bag and took out four slightly identical medals. One red, another blue, the other green and the last brown. Each has a picture of a different Vivosaur. "I got four of 'em, so just take whichever one strikes yer fancy."

Gwen nodded and looked at each of the Vivosaurs.

The green one is an Aerosteon; a power-type that overwhelms foes with sharp claws. The blue one is Toba Titanosaurus; a fast growing, well-balanced Vivosaur. The brown one is Tsintaosaurus; a backup-type that has great support skills. Lastly the red one is Dimetrodon; a tricky technical type that confounds foes with special skills.

Gwen couldn't decide which one to choose until she saw the blue medal shone a bit before nodding. "I'll pick this one."

"Grease my pants and call me slick! That's a fine choice there, small fry." Joe said encouragingly, "Now remember, once ya throw that Dino Medal at the Allosaurus, yer Vivosaur will be unleashed. The strength of a Fossil Fighter depends on how much of a bond they build with their Vivosaurs." he turned to walk away, "So make sure ya'll trust each other and try to have some fun. All right?"

"Yes, sir!" Gwen replied as she gripped Toba's medal, facing the Allo. The Vivosaur saw her and charged. Gwen steeled herself, "Give it your all, Toba!" she yelled as she threw the medal at the Allosaurus, and it glowed brightly in mid-air. The light formed into the shape of a large long-necked reptile before disappearing.

Gwen looked up to the large (or should it be titanic?) reptile in awe. "Wow..." Toba made a sound as she nudged the girl with her snout. "Oh, right!"

But the Allosaurus was faster and snapped at Toba with its massive jaws. Luckily, the Sauropod dodged the attack despite her size. 'Allo will attack blindly since it's enraged.'

"Alright. Toba, use Toba Drop!"

Toba obeyed as she lifted her two front legs high before slamming them back down, creating a huge tremor. Causing the three humans to stumble while the tremor's shock wave slammed harshly onto the Allo. It became even more enraged and charged at Toba, snapping its jaws onto her left front leg. She bellowed slightly before flashing a bright light and the Allo was pushed back, sustaining a few wounds.

"W-What happened?"

Joe raced to the edge of the field, "That's Toba's ability called 'Auto Counter'! It deals 1/10th of the damage received back to the offensive Vivosaur!" Joe informed which Gwen nodded at.

"Okay, Toba. Once more!" The Allo took a stance as if ready to take on the blow when Gwen noticed something. "Wait, Toba!" the Sauropod stopped her attack before looking back at the girl who was already walking towards the enraged Vivosaur despite the protest from Joe. "It's okay. I won't hurt you." The Allo growled, showing his teeth before immediately softened when Gwen gently placed a hand on his snout. "You were left alone, weren't you?"

The Allo crooned and nodded.

"You poor thing." Gwen cooed as she laid her cheek on his scaly snout. "That's why you were so riled up. But don't you worry, you'll find a much better Fighter. One who won't treat you like yesterday's news. I promise."

The Allo finally calmed down, then a brief flash occurred before Allo returned to his Dino Medal.

"Well, I'll be!" Joe said, "You calmed down that big Dino with ease! You might just have the potential to be a great Fossil Fighter!"

Gwen blushed slightly as she gave Allo's Dino Medal to Joe. Her expression then turned mellow, "Mr Wildwest sir, was this Allo?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Joe nodded, "This Allosaurus was abandoned by some cruel fighter! Reckon that's why he had his shorts in a bunch. Vivosaurs need to be with people they know they can trust. If they're abandoned, they go feral and their true nature emerges. That's why I'm here, actually," he continued, "The Fighters Association asked me to round up rouge Vivosaurs." He then faced Gwen with surprise, "Though it sure surprised me that you calmed that there Vivosaur even though it's madder than a bull seeing red."

"Wasn't it?! Gwen here has this special talent that she can calm down even the most enraged Vivosaurs!" Todd said. "You should have seen her calming my dad's raging Heracles down when it's near impossible to do so."

"It's nothing, Todd." Gwen bashfully denied. "And Todd? Didn't you have a stomachache?"

Todd gasped, "Oh yeah! My stomachache's gone! But umm," Todd hesitated, "Oh, who cares about it now! You were amazing, Gwen! You handled that battle like a pro, Gwen!"

"I agree with 'ya, partner!" Joe said. Then he stopped, "Aw shucks, where are my manners? You know this already, but I'm Joe Wildwest, and I'm a Fossil Fighter."

"I'm Gwen Hunter."

Joe then turned back to Gwen, "Hunter? As in 'Ben Hunter'?"

"That's right. Do you know my dad, Mr Wildwest sir?" she asked.

"Darn tootin. We met a few times, either to have a Fossil Battle or to chat. He did told me that he had a son and a young daughter. Who'da thought that daughter was you." Joe then turned back to Todd. "Then you must Holt's little boy."

"How'd you know?" Todd asked, bewildered.

"He and Ben are the best of friends and they're always together. And they did told me that their kids are just like them as well. Well, I should be seein' you two home, but I ain't finished with my job yet here. But y'all seem pretty good on yer' own. I trust ya' to be alright. Being Ben and Holt's kids, after all."

Gwen nodded before realizing something and looked behind her to find Toba looming over them. She had almost forgotten about the Vivosaur, which is a bit strange when Toba is as large as the titanic. "Um, Mr Wildwest sir?"

"Call me Joe, Gwen. So what's up?"

The young girl then gestured to the Sauropod behind her. "I forgot to give you back Toba."

"Aww, bacon! I darn almost forgot that there Dino Medal I loaned ya'!" Toba crooned sadly before grabbing and pulling on Gwen's shirt, which surprised the three humans. Joe smiled at the display. "Tell ya' what, you keep it, as a present from me. Plus, toba seems to have taken a liking to you!"

"Really! Thank you, Joe!" I said with surprise. Toba bellowed in happiness before rubbing her snout against Gwen's cheek.

"Aww!" he moaned, "If only my stomach hadn't started hurting..."

"Oh, Todd..."

"Listen here, small fries. If you love your Vivosaurs and share their passion for Fossil Battles, then you can accomplish anything!" Joe said.

"Right!"

"Alrighty! I look forward to one day seein' both of you as proper Fossil Fighters!" he turned and started off, then turned around, "Adios, kiddos!" and he walked off up the mountain.

Todd laughed, "Wow, we just met Joe Wildwest! Now we have to become Fossil Fighters! Let's do it, Gwen!"

"For sure! Right, Toba!" the Sauropod and the two kids cheered.


	2. The Caliosteo Cup

~Chapter 2: The Caliosteo Cup~

**{2 years later, Over the Pacific Ocean}**

"I can't believe it's finally going to happen, Gwen! My heart is beating like a jackhammer!"

Gwen and Todd were in a blue-and-white helicopter that slowly made its way out over the vast ocean. A logo shaped like a fossil was emblazoned on the side. They were on their way to Joe Wildwest's very own tournament, the Caliosteo Cup!

Gwen remembered how they had entered – by fighting their way though a series of preliminary rounds before getting the A-OK to travel to the Caliosteo Fossil Park. There had been close to five thousand people there, but only a fraction of that number had been allowed to go on.

Todd had just barely made it with his own Vivosaur, a Stegosaurus, or Stego for short. It had been a close match, but he had managed to scrape through, and had been approved to compete in the Cup.

Gwen and Toba, who had grown even closer in the past two years, had brought the house down on the competition and had also earned the right to participate. She even remembered the joyful faces of her parents and brother when they came to see her and Todd.

"Neither can I!" Gwen exclaimed before looking down at Toba, "And neither can Toba."

"You know, Gwen. You sounded as if Toba can speak."

"Remember what Joe told us? The strength of a Fossil Fighter depends on how much of a bond they build with their Vivosaurs. I'm just want to bond with my Vivosaur and all the others in my future team so we could get through the tournament."

"Whatever you say." Todd shrugged before continuing his earlier rant, "We're gonna be competing in Joe's very own tournament, the Caliosteo Cup! Of course, all the cool fighters just call it 'the Cup' for short." Todd bawled his hands into fists, "Joe would be amazed to know we made it through the preliminaries and came all the way here! And we'll probably meet him here, too! I wonder if he'll remember us?"

"I don't know, maybe he will."

"It'd be pretty cool if he did!"

Gwen rolled her eyes with a smile before looking out of the window and saw an island in the distance, "Todd, that's the park! We're finally here!"

Todd's response was a whoop of joy and a little victory pose. "Finally! Watch out, Fossil Park, 'cause here I come!"

Gwen giggled at his antics as she stood up from her seat and walked towards the door.

The helicopter roared over the island, revealing it to be a lush, green place with verdant forests everywhere you looked. Gwen shook her head good-naturedly at Todd who is still jumping up and down in excitement.

**Ribular Town**

The vehicle landed in a small town – Ribular Town - in the middle of the forest. Gwen and Todd hopped out and immediately looked around at their surroundings in wonder. As the helicopter took off again, a woman in a uniform walked up to the pair.

"Welcome to Caliosteo Fossil Park, a prehistoric world of dreams, dinosaurs, and adventure!" she greeted them cheerfully. "The park is composed of three islands; Ribular Island, Cranial Isle, and Ilium Island. Visitors are welcome to dig up as many fossils as they want – and of course there are plenty of Fossil Battles to be fought!" Gwen grinned in anticipation at this comment.

Before the attendant could continue, there was a sudden commotion that seemed to be coming from the large building in the center of RibularTown.

*Beep-beep-boop!* "This is an important public service announcement from Caliosteo Fossil Park. Registration for the Caliosteo Cup will be ending soon. Fossil Fighters who have not yet registered should enroll at the Fossil Station immediately." *Beep-beep-boop!*

Todd looked panicked. "Ahh! We haven't registered yet! We need to get to that Fighter Station!"

The attendant spoke up again. "The Fighter Station?" she asked. "It's the largest building in RibularTown, you can't miss it."

"Thank you." Gwen thanked the lady before running to catch up with Todd, who had already dashed off.

Inside, they immediately headed for the counter at the far end of the room. The receptionist smiled slightly at their (mostly Todd's) out-of-breath faces. "I take it that you two want to enter the Caliosteo Cup?"

"Yes, ma'am." Gwen replied.

"Alright, may I have your names?" the receptionist asked.

"I'm Gwendolyn Hunter."

"And I'm Todd Raptor."

The receptionist quickly typed down the information on her screen, "Ok. Next I must know your ages."

"We're both 14." Gwen answered. The receptionist typed again.

In moments, their faces had popped up on the big screen on the wall behind the counter. Pictures of their Vivosaurs, as well as their names, were there also. "Thank you very much," said the receptionist. "Your qualification through the preliminaries has been confirmed." Both friends let out involuntary sighs of relief. "Someone will be with you shortly to go over the rules of the park."

They nodded. Not two seconds later, the far door opened and a young woman dressed in blue and yellow had stepped out. "Hey there, Fighters!" she called out in a friendly way. "I'm Stella, one of the three Staff Leaders in the Fossil Park." She motioned Gwen and Todd over with a wave of her hand.

When the duo had reached her, Stella continued, "I'm here to instruct you on the various facilities we have here in the Fighter Station. …We'll start our tour in the most important place. Follow me!"

**Cleaning Room**

Stella led Gwen and Todd into a room whose walls and floor were colored varying shades of green. High-tech machines were all over the place, and Todd couldn't help gawking at all of the complex-looking gear.

"Welcome to the most important room for Fighters: the Cleaning Room! This machine here is the cleaning machine. It helps clean fossils out of their rocky prisons." she motioned over to another machine, "And that machine helps revive Vivosaurs from fossils."

Todd jumped, "That's some pretty high-tech stuff!" he exclaimed.

Stella nodded, "Yes, we try to stay up to date with our technology. As such, these machines may be different than what you've used before. How about you try reviving a Vivosaur?" She said to Gwen as she placed a fossil rock on the counter, "Here's a fossil rock. Remember, when you start to see the fossil, use the drill to clean the rest. Otherwise, you might break the fossil! There's a gauge up here to monitor your progress. Good luck!"

With Stella's help, Gwen was able to use the various controls to clean a perfect 100-point fossil rock.

"Amazing! Wonderful job!" Stella gasped, looking at her. "Only one other person got a hundred percent on their cleaning test!"

"I had a lot of practice." Gwen admitted, thinking back on all the cleaning basics and lessons her dad and brother drilled into her brain.

Todd went next, and thanks to the same practice he got with Gwen, he managed to get a 98-points.

"Wow, you two are amazing!" Stella praised. "Now, since you both cleaned head fossils, you can revive them!" After a bit of explaining about the different kinds of fossils, Stella gently placed Gwen's skull in the Revival Chamber first. Mere seconds after Stella pressed the big red button, there was a flash of light, and the chamber door hissed open with a rush of steam.

Standing there was a dinosaur the size of a bear, with three horns adorning its beaky face. "A Triceratops!" exclaimed Gwen, eyes shining. The Triceratops (or "Tricera" for short) gave her a curious look before turning into a small, blue Dino Medal. Gwen picked it up and looked at it in amazement. "The first Vivosaur I've ever revived by myself," she murmured. 'Pleased to meet you, Tricera.'

The Dino Medal rumbled a bit before she pocketed it.

Todd went next – his Vivosaur was a squat, purple, tank-like beast with red spikes. Stella told him it was called a Gargoyleosaurus, or Goyle. When he had pocketed the resulting Dino Medal, Stella informed them that they'd be getting a Fossil Battle tutorial in the Fossil Stadium shortly.

Todd held his hands up and bawled them into fists, "WOO! Fossil Stadium! I'm so excited I could puke!"

"Really, Todd?" Gwen sighed in exasperation.

"Yes, let's try not to do that. Our floors are very clean. _Anyways_, please follow me..."

After a quick tutorial about fighting with a team of Vivosaurs, they headed back to the lobby.

"One more thing to remember," he said, "If a Fighter lacks strategy or their Vivosaurs lack ability, victory will prove impossible. Remember that, alright? Now get out there and show them what you're made of! Good luck!" Devon then walked back to the stadium.

"That's it for orientation, you two." Stella announced. "You're now officially entered in the Caliosteo Cup! Your opponents will be automatically chosen by the computer, and when you finish a cup you'll be granted access to a new dig site!" Then her eyes grew wide, "Oh, I almost forgot! Here are your Paleopagers and Fossil Passes. We use the Paleopagers to send out news and updates via the Fossil Messaging System, or FMS. Fossil Passes show your information as a Fossil Fighter, such as your name, age, rank, etc."

Then the intercom came on again, "_Attention, the Caliosteo Cup Opening Ceremony will be kicking off shortly. All interested participates should meet in front of the Fossil Station. Thank you."_

Stella spoke again, "Oh, that's my cue! Good luck, you guys!" and she headed off.

Todd turned to Gwen, "I bet the opening ceremony will be awesome! What if Joe is there?" Todd then became too excited that he looked as if he could burst. "Let's hurry!" He grabbed onto Gwen's hand and dashed for the door, leaving the distraught girl to run along.

"Todd, slow down!" was her deaf cries as they exited the building, leaving the receptionist to pity the young female.

**Ribular Town**

"Hey, look, Gwen!" said Todd suddenly, pointing at something on the horizon. "Something's flying this way!" She took one look and gasped, along with the crowd that had gathered in Ribular Town.

It was a giant, flying TV screen, with huge loudspeakers positioned underneath the massive screen. Suddenly, Joe Wildwest's face appeared on it, and everyone cheered. Gwen and Todd cheered the loudest.

"Welcome to Caliosteo Fossil Park," Joe said loudly and clearly. "A place where dreams are made!" There was more cheering. "I'm the owner of this here park – the name's Joe Wildwest!" Even more cheering. "You Fighters will love it here," he continued on with a grin. "We've got three islands to explore! Now get ready for a surprise, cause I want y'all to know that the Cup champion will received an ultra-rare fossil!" The crowd's cheer was so loud you could have hear it from a amile away. "So let's get to battlin', folks!" finished Joe, grinning uncontrollably. "The Caliosteo Cup is now open!"

Fireworks shot into the sky and exploded in an array of colors. Everyone cheered.

"Man, just seeing Joe's face on that awesome video display was so exciting!" he leapt with joy, "But the champion gets an ultra-rare fossil? Wow!"

"I wonder what kind of Vivosaur it contains?" Gwen wondered. "It must be very rare, and possibly very powerful."

"Well, for one thing, we'll be seeing quite a lot of awesome battles!"

"Hey, you two." The two turned to find Stella.

"Oh, hi Stella." Gwen said. "We were just talking about the cup."

"Oh, well did you get the message on your Paleopagers yet?" she asked.

Todd looked bewildered, "What messa-" the Paleopagers started beeping,

"_The dig site 'Treasure Lake' is now open. You're urged to head there and prepare for your first match."_

"Oh..." Todd mumbled. "That message."

"Well, you two might want to hurry since you're the last ones here." Stella informed, promting the teens to looked around the find everyone had gone to the Dig Site.

"No way!" Todd exclaimed. "The Cup just started and we're already behind!"

"Well, we can still make it in-" Gwen was yet again cut off by Todd dashing off towards the recently opened Dig Site. "-time."

"My, your friend sure is an impatient fellow, isn't he?" Stella mused.

"He is." Gwen sweat-dropped before sighing. "I better get going before he hurts himself."

"Oh, before you do." Stella then took out two keys. "These... are your room keys. Each island has rooms for the Fighters to stay in. Your room number will be the same on each island, you'll just be in different buildings."

"Thank you. See you around, Stella!" Gwen waved before heading towards Treasure Lake.

The teen then slowed down when she saw an attendant standing in the dig site looking around, "Oh, geez. He's already gone..."

"Is something the matter?"

"Oh, sorry!" she said, turning to her, "A boy just rushed off without getting his Fossil Sonar. You mustn't have gotten yours either, so here you go!" she headed Gwen a round, silver sonar. She pointed at the buttons, "You press the green button to locate fossils, and the red button turns it on and off."

"Thank you."

"Now I have to find that boy."

"Umm, did the boy you were talking about happened to have a safari hat, wears a green outfit and blue eyes?"

"That's right. Let me guess, he's your friend, isn't he?"

She bowed her head with embarrassment, "Yes. Sorry about him."

She simply smiled, "No prob! Just give this to him, ok?"

"Sure." Gwen nodded as she accepted the second sonar and went down to the lake.

**Treasure Lake**

The area was lush and green with a large rock carved like a T-Rex skull in the middle. Fighters were everywhere digging up and battling each other for fossil rocks. Todd running back and forth shouting, "WHERE ARE THE FOSSILS?"

Gwen sweat-dropped at this before sighing, "Todd!"

He turned, "Oh, there you are, Gwen? What's that?" he asked, pointing to the sonars in her hands.

"It's your Fossil Sonar, actually. You forgot to get one from the attendant on your way here, so she gave me one for you. You won't be able to find any without one. Also this is your room key from Stella."

He sweat-dropped, "Oh, uh, gee thanks!" he said finally. "I'm gonna go look for some fossils, so see ya!"

Gwen shook her head and went in a different direction than Todd, and was now wading through the ankle-deep water. An hour had passed and Gwen had managed to unearth at least seven fossils. She decided to get the eighth one right in front of her before going back to the Cleaning Room.

Swinging her pickaxe, she unearthed the eighth one she got when a male fighter just appeared out of nowhere and insisted that he saw it first. To settle this kind of argument, the fighters will do a Fossil Battle; Winner takes the fossil.

Gwen sent out Toba and Tricera while the Fighter sent out a Rajasaurus (or Raja for short). Gwen had the first move.

"Tricera, use Running Smash!" Tricera hit the Theropod with the force of a tank, resulting a critical hit.

"Give them back with Raja Fang on Tricera!" The Therapod charged at Tricera but was intercepted by Toba who swept its attack away with her tail, though she suffered little damage from its attack on her tail when the jaws bit down on it.

"Nice one, big girl!" Gwen praised. "Now use Toba Drop!" The huge shock wave blew the Raja back a bit but it still hung on, only but a silver of LP. The Raja retaliated by chomping down on Tricera, making her screeched in pain. "Oh no, Tricera!"

"That'a boy, Raja! Knock that pathetic excuse of a Vivosaur down!"

"Hey, that's my Tricera you're talking about!" Gwen shouted, miffed that someone insulted her Vivosaur.

"_And how dare you call me 'pathetic'!_" Gwen went wide-eyed when she heard Tricera talk. The Three-Horns charged in full throttle and knocked the Raja back with so much force, resulting the Vivosaur to revert back to its Dino Medal. "_Take that, you ruffian!_"

The man scoffed in annoyance and grudgingly walked away. Gwen then turned to her Vivosaurs, still a bit wide-eyed. "Did... you just talk?"

"_Why of course, darling._" Tricera replied in a sort of french lady accent. "_Even though we met for a bit, we had both created a bond strong enough for you to understand me._"

"So does that mean Toba as well?"

"That's right." the Sauropod nodded.

"Wow..."

"_Yes. Yes, it's all nice and such but aren't you forgetting something?_" Tricera reminded.

**Ribular Town**

Gwen was just telling Tricera (Gwen wanted Tricera to have a bit of fresh air. She would have done with Toba but due to her size...) on how she met Toba as they headed into the Fossil Station when she heard girls screaming and squealing near the door to the Cleaning Room.

"Oh! He's here!"

"He's _adorable_, I have to meet him!"

"We love you, Rupert!"

"_You would think they witness a murder with the way they're screaming._" Tricera grunted.

Stella walked in with three other people and separated the mob of girls. "Ladies, _please_! Calm down and return to your usual activities." The girls sighed and began to disperse.

"Wonder what that was all about?" Gwen asked.

"_Only God knows._" the three-horns replied. "_I mean, please. They're screaming as if a celebrity had graced themselves in here._"

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing, Tricera - Oof!" Gwen grunted when she felt something bumped into her, causing her to fall. Luckily, Tricera caught her before she could face-plant.

"My apologies. Are you alright?" a voice asked as the person grabbed her arm to lift her up. Gwen turned to face the person.

A boy who looked to be a year older than her with silvery-white hair and unique golden eyes that held a bit of worry and surprise. A bright red trench coat flowed behind him.

She nodded, "I'm fine. I should have watch where I was going."

"No, no. I should be the one watching where I was going, seeing that I was the one who bumped into you."

"_Good-looking and modest..._" Tricera said, glancing at Gwen. "_He's a pretty good catch, if I do say so myself._"

"Tri, shush." Gwen chided with a light tint on her cheeks.

The boy looked at Tricera, "Strange to see a Fighter with their Vivosaur outside of battle."

"I just thought she could use a bit of fresh air." the golden-brunette replied. "Hi, my name's Gwen. And this is my Vivosaur, Tricera."

"Pleased to meet you." the boy bowed slightly. "Now if you'd excuse me, I must be on my way. Goodbye." he quickly scurried through the door to the outside.

"_My, Prince Charming is trying to be mysterious._"

"He seems a bit anti-social. I wonder what's wrong?" Gwen mumbled before shrugging and headed into the Cleaning room to clean off some fossils.


	3. Rupert Verstein

**~Chapter 3: Rupert Verstein~**

After cleaning her fossils, Gwen decided to do a little more searching around Treasure Lake. When she arrived, something unexpected was waiting for her – there was a huge crowd up ahead. Todd spotted her and ran over, full of excitement as usual.

"Gwen! Gwen!" he yelled. "Guess who's entered in the Cup – Rupert! Yep, THE Rupert!" She gave him a confused look, and he pulled her arm, dragging her over to the crowd._  
_

Once in front, Gwen lightly gasped at the boy beside the reporter. Silver hair, gold eyes, red coat. It was the boy who bumped into her before! But he seemed different now as he have an air of arrogance about him.

"_I can see why those girls went gaga over him._" Tricera said from her Dino Medal.

The reporter turned to the crowd and called for silence before signaling for the cameraman to start rolling.

"Good morning! This is Linda R. Porter reporting for Caliosteo TV! With the Caliosteo Cup underway, we have an exclusive interview with one of the Fighters." she turned to Rupert, "This undefeated child prodigy has had a long line of victories throughout many Fossil Fighting tournaments. He's also the heir to a multinational corporation that produces a wide range of goods for Fighters." The camera turned toward Rupert, "It's the prince of FossilDig Inc. and the talk of every Fighter in town. Ladies and gentlemen... say hello to Rupert Verstein!"

Rupert nodded his head in greeting, "Hello." he said softly.

"Ok, Rupert, let's get right to it. Do you feel confident about winning the Caliosteo Cup?" asked Linda.

Rupert nodded, "Oh yes, quite. There's little point in entering a competition if one does not expect to win."

Linda faced the camera, "Spoken like a true champion! This young competitor has the spirit if a true Fighter! If any other Fighter were to say it, we might accuse them of hubris. But from Rupert, it's a fact." Rupert sighed. "Will this child be the winner? Or will someone step up to challenge this masterful Fighter? One thing's for sure all eyes will be on the Caliosteo Cup!"

Then Linda stepped up to the camera, "But we've been told to pass on a message. Despite his fame, Rupert is still just a Fighter in the Cup. Though you may be smitten by his roguish charm, please do not mob him or try to steal locks of his hair!"

Gwen could see uneasiness on his face when the reporter said that. 'No surprise there.'

Linda continued, "Any competitors found to be annoying Rupert in any way will be subject to disqualification. From Caliosteo TV, this is Linda R. Porter signing off."

The cameraman ended the broadcast, "Well, let's go get lunch. I'm starved!" she turned to Rupert, "Thank you for the interview, Rupert."

"You're quite welcome." he said before the two ran off. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Idiocy..." he quickly turned and headed deeper into the marshy area.

Todd leapt up, "I'd like to chase after Rupert and see if he's really all that!"

Gwen shot him a questioning look, "But Todd, the reporters warned everyone not to bug him! What if we get disqualified?"

Todd thought for a second, "Well, yeah... But they didn't say we couldn't challenge him to a battle!"

Gwen sighed, seeing no point in arguing. Todd then went after the young prodigy while Gwen went around Treasure Lake to dig up more Fossils and to battle the local fighters for her first battle.

Eventually, she came across Todd talking to Rupert after she beaten another fighter. Walking up beside her friend, she was just in time to hear Rupert's reply.

"Please go amuse yourself elsewhere. I don't have time to waste on the likes of you." He turned away, "_'Let's have fun?' 'Excited feeling?'_ Such disgusting treacle makes me want to puke." He looked back at Todd, who had his shocked-to-death expression on his face. "Frankly, I _abhor_ to having to associate with Fighters such as yourself." Rupert stated, "If you wish to face me, you must win your way to my standing in the tournament." he smirked, "Of course, there's no chance of that happening... Now run along and take your sad Vivosaurs with you."

Todd became enraged while Gwen was very surprised with the sudden change in attitude. "You jerk! I'm _waaay_ stronger than you think! You may be famous, but it doesn't mean you run the place!"

Rupert only scoffed the idea.

"_I take back everything I said about him! He is a total and utter _imbecile_!_" Tricera roared.

"Maybe you're just chicken!" Rupert narrowed his eyes, clearly irritated.

"Todd..." Gwen whispered, trying to get him to stop.

"Bawk, Bawk, Bawk!" Todd clucked while flapping his arms like a chicken.

"Todd, quit it! You're making it worse!" Gwen whispered louder.

"_Actually, it's quite an imitation._" Tricera praised.

"_You're not making it better, Tricera._" Toba sighed.

Rupert shook his head and sighed, "Fine, you demand satisfaction? Very well, if it will keep you from stalking me in the near future... I will show you what a real Fossil Battle is like! But just don't go crying home to Mommy like I didn't warn you!" Rupert reached for his Dino Medals, as did Todd. "Let's battle!" Rupert sent out Raja and Mapo, while Todd sent out Stego. After saving up FP and having Stego's Spike Tail attack miss, Raja defeated Todd with a one-hit K.O.

Todd's face went blank again, "I lost... I lost _A LOT_..."

"Truly pathetic." Rupert mumbled, "Are you even paying attention to the elemental types of your Vivosaurs?"

"Elemental types...?"

He rolled his eyes, "This is truly sad.. A Fighter that knows nothing about elemental types... Oh, very well! Pay attention!" Then Rupert went on to talk about type advantages and disadvantages of Vivosaurs. "My Raja is an Earth type." he stated, "So if you were a smart Fighter, you would have targeted my Water type, Mapo." He continued, "Additionally, your Stego is a Mid-Range-class Vivosaur. Mapo was at a range where your Vivosaur's attacks would be more effective." He turned away, "Not that any of this matters. I still would have crushed you anyway in the end."

Gwen, having enough, stepped in front of Todd with a glare on her usually calm face. "Over me and my dead Vivosaurs, you're not."

"_You tell him, Lyn-Lyn!_" cheered her newly-added Shonisaurus, or Shoni.

"Wait..." he hesitated, "You're the girl from before... with the Tricera. Gwen, correct?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?" asked Gwen.

He blinked a few times, "N-nothing. Um, good day to you!" he slowly walked off to the exit of Treasure Lake. Gwen raised a brow as he walked away.

"_What's his problem?_" Shoni said, which Gwen shrugged. Then Todd began to have a fit over his loss.

"AAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHH!" Todd growled, "I've lost a lot of times, but _never_ before have I been so angry about it!" he stomped on the ground. "That's it, Gwen! We have to win our way through the Cup! We have to take down that no good jerk-face, Rupert!"

Gwen sighed but had a small smile on her face, "Well, I agree. But maybe he's not all bad. He did have a rough day after all. What with all the fan girls and stuff chasing him..."

Todd laughed, "Well, I suppose so... Sucks to be him, I guess." A loud beeping noise rang out from nowhere, and they both jumped. "It's my Paleopager!" Todd noted, taking out the device.

"_Round 1 of the Caliosteo Cup will now begin. Gwendolyn's round 1 opponent will be Todd._" The surprised them as they exchanged looks, "_Please prepare yourselves, then check in at Ribular Town's Fossil Station._" The message then ended.

Todd spoke, "So, you're my round 1 opponent?" he clenched his fists, "Boo, man! I wanted to face you in the finals!" he shoved his Paleopager into his pocket, "Stupid computer!" he turned away from her.

"Todd..."

"Sorry, Gwen. There's nothing we can do about it. We'll just have to give it our all out there!"

Gwen nodded, "I look forward to fighting you, Todd!"

"Ok, so that means until this round is over, we're enemies! Come on, we better get to the station for our match!"

Gwen nodded and the two rivals raced towards town.


	4. Learning History

**~Chapter 4: Learning History~**

Gwen and Todd checked in at the Fighter Station, ready for their Round 1 battle. The receptionist told them to wait in the Common Room until their name was called.

There she sat, twiddling her thumbs and watching the ongoing Fossil Battles on the TV screen on the far wall. There were an impressive variety of Vivosaurs to watch in action, and she studied each one's fighting style.

'Any one of these Fighters could end up my Round 2 opponent,' Gwen thought grimly. 'I need to learn what I can for later.' Toba, Tricera, and Shoni all agreed with her.

Todd fidgeted impatiently in his seat.

"When are we getting called?" he moaned.

"Todd, there's _tons_ of people in line to battle! You have to wait patiently."

He groaned, "I don't like waiting!" he sounded like a grumpy 3-year-old, but tried to sit quietly and watch the other battles.

Finally, the announcer called her and Todd into the Fossil Stadium. "_Our next competitors will be Gwendolyn Hunter and Todd Raptor! Fighters, please report to the stadium! Thank you!_'"

"Finally!" he sighed with relief. He readied his Dino Medals for the battle before turning to me. "You'd better not go easy on me just because we're friends," he warned. "I mean it! No hard feelings, no matter who comes out on top." Gwen's only response was a determined nod. "Now let's do this thing!" Todd said in a raised voice, then walked with her into the Fossil Stadium.

Gwen had to adjust her eyes to the sudden light. She saw tons of cheering people, Fighters and fans alike. There was an immense view-screen perched above a box, in which several people sat. Gwen recognized Stella and of course, Joe Wildwest himself.

"_Good day, and welcome to the next Round 1 match of the Caliosteo Cup!_" shouted one of the announcers, a little Vivosaur named Ty Ranno. "_This time, it'll be a heated battle between two good friends, Todd and Gwendolyn._"

The other announcer, a yellow Tricera named Trip, almost instantly responded. "_That's a cruel twist of fate right there, Ty! But there's nothing we can do but watch and see how they fight!_"

Now at opposite ends of the battlefield, Gwen and Todd simultaneously released their Vivosaurs – Todd sent out his Stego and Goyle, and Gwen made her decision on the spot. She clearly had a huge type disadvantage here since her team are full of Water-types so she had no choice but to send them all out, hoping for something.

"_Whoa, clearly Gwendolyn has a huge disadvantage there, folks!_" yelled Trip in a frenzy of excitement.

_"It sure is, Trip! Let's see how she fares against Todd's air-types._" Ty replied.

"Alright. Tricera, Running Smash on Goyle!" With all the power she could muster, Tricera charged full force at the spiked tank. Landing a critical hit, the impact with his shelled head made Goyle grunt and slide backwards. Gwen ended her turn early.

"_Ooh, that must hurt a lot!_" Trip said.

"_That Tricera sure packed a punch, despite being up against an Air-type._" Ty replied.

"_Naturally._" Tricera flaunted.

"Focus, Tri." Gwen said with a sweat-drop.

Todd smirked and yelled, "Stego! Spike Tail on Shoni!" The deadly tail whipped toward the dolphin-like Vivosaur. The Shonisaurus chattered before jumping up and down, gracefully dodging the spiked tail despite her being larger than Tricera. Stego looked peeved as he returned to his side of the field.

"_Is he playing a game, Lyn-Lyn?! Huh, huh! Is he? Is he?_" the Shoni chattered excitingly, causing her 'sisters' and fighter to sweat-drop.

"_Well, we should be lucky that Shoni is playful._"

Gwen nervously laughed before focusing on the battle, "Ok, Tricera! Once more on Goyle!" Getting another critical hit and the armor tank fell to the ground, turning back to a Dino Medal.

"_And a powerful Running Smash KOs Goyle!_" Trip exclaimed.

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Todd commanded Stego to use Spike Tail on Tricera. The bony plated reptile spun his spiked tail at Tricera who intercepted the attack with her horns._  
_

"_I don't think so!_" the three-horns pushed the tail away before headbutting the Stegosaurus. "_Your turn, Toba!_"

"_Right. Gwen!_"

The girl nodded and ordered, "Toba Drop! Full Power!"

Instead of her usual front legs stomping the ground, Toba rushed towards the staggering Stego before jumping high. Once she landed, the resulting tremor shook the whole stadium that the audience had to hold onto something as the shock wave blasted Stego away. Flashing a bit, he turned back to a Dino Medal just like Goyle did.

Gwen blinked, not believing what just happened.

The crowd cheered as the three Water-types let loose triumphant chatters, grunts and bellows. From their box, Joe and Stella rose onto their feet and clapped enthusiastically, while a comment from Trip blazed through the din; "_And it's an astounding victory for Gwendolyn Hunter! Despite having a team that clearly has a huge disadvantage to Todd's, she managed to blast the opponent's Vivosaurs away! That's impressive stuff that I hope to see in the second round!_"

"Congrats, Gwen!" Todd said as he bounded over to her side. "I thought I had you cornered with my Air-types but you turned the tide completely around! You're amazing!"

"I-I won?" she lamely asked.

"Uh. Yeah, you did. Why? It hadn't sunk in yet?"

"No, not yet." Gwen shook her head. But in just ten seconds, she was jumping for joy. "I can't believe it! I won!" The two once-rivals shared a brief victory dance.

**Ribular Town**

"Geez, Gwen. You should have warned me that Toba can do a full body-slam! I almost thought that an earthquake just hit the island or something." Todd teased.

Gwen sheepishly scratched her cheek. Then Stella suddenly appeared beside them.

"Congratulations, Gwen" she told Gwen. "You're on to the second round! But hold your head high, Todd." She suddenly shifted her attention to him. "That was a fine effort. You put on a great show!"

"Thanks, Stella. I guess wished I put a little bit more, though."

Once again, Stella shifted her attention. "Anyway, Gwen, this is for you. Think of it as a little prize for clearing your first round." She handed her a small package with a label.

Gwen frowned as she read it. "A Time Plus Prize Pack? What could this be for?"

Stella smiled. "Some fossil rocks are more difficult to clean than others," she explained. "With a Time Plus, you can give yourself more time to clean those particularly stubborn ones."

"I see. Thank you!"

There was another shock coming – Stella took Gwen's ID card, which held all of her Fossil Fighter information, and stamped it with a "2" symbol. "When you complete tasks such as rounds in the Cup, or simply accomplish impressive things, you'll gain a Fighter Level. The higher your Level is, the more FP you can recharge every turn."

"Lucky," commented Todd idly, taking a peek at her ID card.

"You'll get there soon, Todd." the Staff leader said. Stella left, tossing over her shoulder, "Good luck with Round 2, Gwen!"

Todd was silent for one second, then spoke again. "You know, I don't feel all that bad about losing. I mean, I'm disappointed and all… but I got to fight you in a Fossil Battle, and it was fun! That's why I'm gonna cheer you on for the rest of the Cup! Until the end of the Cup, I'm going to be the president and CEO of the Gwen fan club! You're my champ now, so I'm entrusting you with my dream!"

Gwen flushed a bit, "You don't have to do that, Todd. Especially not making a fan club... And besides, any of us could have won that round."

"But you _did _win! So you have to try your hardest, promise?"

She smiled, "Yeah, I promise!"

"… I do not know what to make of the two of you." Gwen and Todd whirled at the voice. It was Rupert. "You just faced each other in battle, and yet now you laugh about it?"

Todd stared at him, irritated, "You don't get it! We just shared an awesome battle together!"

Rupert paused to think, "So you're satisfied with defeat, then? It doesn't gnaw at your soul like a rabid badger?"

Todd looked him in the eyes, "Well, yeah. I'm fine with it!"

He looked at him questioningly, "You are... a strange person..."

"I think he's even stranger..." Todd whispered, earning a soft giggle.

"Yes, well," he said as he turned. "Unlike you, I have important things to do with my time." And he left the Fighter Station just like that.

"What is with that guy? It's not like we asked his opinion or anything! Alright, Dina," Todd said, "I'm going to cheer you on like I've never cheered before!"

He held up his fists, "You have to make that no good, arrogant jerk eat his words! I'm counting on you!"

Gwen nodded. Then the Paleopager started beeping.

_"All Round 1 matches are complete. A new dig site has also been opened: Jungle Labyrinth. Fighters are urged to travel there and prepare for Round 2."_

"Hey!" Todd said, "I just got a message saying any Fighter that lost in Round 1 is welcome to use the new dig site!"

"That's great, Todd!"

"Yeah! I mean, as long as I'm here I might as well try to have some fun!" he turned to leave, but whirled back around. "Don't worry, though! I'll still cheer you on just the same! Well, let's head to the dig site!" Todd said before dashing away but did a double-take and rushed back to her. "Oops, forgot my pick axe. You go on ahead, Gwen! I'll catch up with you later."

Gwen sighed before heading towards the jungle dig site.

**Jungle ****Labyrinth**

When Gwen reached, she noticed not many fighters are around and looked down at her watch. She noted that it's already in the late afternoon. "Well, it's no wonder no one's around." she said to herself as she walked into the clearing when she got a shock. Up ahead, she could see that someone had collapsed on the ground!

Rushing over to the man, she shook him slightly. "Are you all right?!" she asked, almost panicked. His eyelids fluttered, then opened.

"Oh, hello there, young lass," he greeted her in a weary voice with a thick British accent. "Sorry to bother you, but I am in a bit of a pickle. Hunger gnaws at my belly, you see," he continued, and his stomach rumbled loudly in response. "And I fear that the only cure is a delectable melon spud." Gwen's face must have shown her confusion, so the man explained. "Melon spuds are sweet subterranean fruits that grow deep in the ground. My nose smells one nearby, but it is a tricky beastie. Where could it be hiding?" He moaned as his belly growled even louder."I say, I sense a melon spud buried right near this spot… But I am far too weak to find it… Be a good egg and find it for me please, otherwise I fear the end is nigh…" The man didn't say anything more after that.

Gwen sighed before searching for the "melon spud". After walking around the clearing for a while, Gwen saw a vibrant, sprout-like plant waving merrily in the wind. Curious, she quickly grabbed her pickaxe and dug up the plant. The root was spherical and large, and smelled very sweet._  
_

"It smells sweet..." Gwen mumbled as she gathered the fruit in her hands. Walking back over to the man, she head him mutter, "My vision grows dim… I hear angels. Goodness, I think this is the end for me!"

Gwen sweat-dropped before kneeling down and placing the melon spud beside him.

He involuntarily took a sniff as the spud's aroma reached him. His eyes popped open and instantly fixed upon the fruit in front of him. "By my knickers, it's a melon spud!" he exclaimed, and immediately crammed it into his mouth ravenously. When he swallowed, he hopped up onto his feet. "Well done, old bean!" he said, full of energy. "That melon spud has given me an injection of youthful vim and vigor!" The man then gave Gwen the once-over. "You went into a lot of trouble to dig up that melon spud for me, yes?" Gwen nodded, unsure of what to say. Then the man laughed heartily. "In that case, I'd humbly request the pleasure of your name."

"I'm Gwen. Pleased to meet you."

"Well then, Gwen, it appears that I am in your debt," the man said, shaking her hand warmly. "I am Professor Nigel Scatterly, man of science and curator of the Caliosteo Musuem on Cranial Isle."

Laughing again, he continued, "I'd come here in search of the Calio Slablets, but managed to get hopelessly lost. …Also, I forgot my lunch when I left this morning, so it's quite good that you came along!"

Gwen and her Vivosaurs sweat-dropped before the girl's curiosity overcame her. "What are Calio Slablets?" she asked, confused.

"Excellent!" the Professor boomed, loudly enough to make Gwen jump. "There's little I enjoy more than discussing the wonders of science, after all!"

Gwen calmed down, and Professor Scatterly began to explain:

"Calio Slablets, you see, are a curious set of tablets hewn from dinosaur bones. I discovered one of these tablets a fair while back and found it contained a history of these islands. This tablet claimed that the long-lost Kingdom of Caliosteo actually existed on this very spot. Can you imagine?!"

Gwen only nodded, intrigued.

The Professor continued on; "I also determined that the kingdom was led by a mighty ruler named Zongazonga. Now, it seems that this fellow was some manner of sorcerer that wielded spells of great power. He could even resurrect dinosaurs from fossils – such a thing means that they were reviving Vivosaurs even in ancient times!"

"Oh, wow!" Gwen exclaimed.

"Naturally, I burned to know more about these ancient people… but I only had the first Slablet in my possession." The Professor sighed regretfully. "But now -" his eyes twinkled "- I have successfully located another Slablet with a special sonar that I built. It is right near this very spot!" He went to grab something, but then realized something.

"Oh, sod! I must have left my shovel behind!"

Gwen face-palmed in exasperation. "Here," she sighed. "I'll dig it up for you."

Professor Scatterly looked delighted. "Will you? Then do it! Do it for science!" He lent her his sonar, which he called the "CS Sonar", so she could find the ancient artifact.

After roaming around a bit, Gwen found the spot where the Slablet was buried. With two swings of her pickaxe, she had unearthed it. Reaching into the hole, she pulled out a dirty object that, indeed, looked a lot like a dinosaur bone.

"Good heavens!" cried Professor Scatterly. "It IS a Calio Slablet! And, look here, it is marked with the number three!" Gwen took a closer look at the bone and indeed saw a symbol that looked a lot like a "3". She handed both the CS Sonar and the Slablet to the Professor, who fussed over it. "I suppose the prudent thing to do would be to set this one aside until I locate the second one…" he muttered. "Well, posh to that! My scientific curiosity will not be contained!" The professor then fixed his collar to have some room. "… Ahem! Now let's see… Ah, yes, here we are.

"_Once every several decades, Zongazonga compelled his people to hold a tournament. Participants in the tournament were given revived dinosaurs and made to command them in battle. These brave warriors traveled to and fro across the islands, waging battles of gargantuan ferocity. The tournament's sole reason for being was to choose a new Majestic Vessel. And when only one warrior was left standing, he or she was to become the new Majestic Vessel_."

Gwen spoke up when he had finished reading. "A tournament where dinosaurs are made to fight across three islands? Sounds a lot like our own Caliosteo Cup!"

The Professor nodded several times. "Yes indeed, old bean! … However, I am at a loss to explain the meaning of this 'Majestic Vessel'." He looked thoughtful, then continued hesitantly, "… Perhaps it simply means one who had qualities of leadership that befit a king? … Mmm, yes, quite."

Gwen spoke up again. "You mean that it's a title? Like a Champion? …That sounds about right." The two puzzled it out to themselves for a few minutes, then Professor Scatterly coughed once.

"Well, I suppose the mystery will have to wait, yes? I will make for Cranial Isle with the new Slablet posthaste."

Professor Scatterly pocketed his Sonar and the Slablet and turned to leave. "You've been of remarkable assistance, Gwen. If you ever find yourself upon the shores of Cranial Isle, you must stop by my museum!"

Gwen nodded and grinned, "Certainly! I'd be delighted!"

This made Professor Scatterly beam at her. "Safe travels, then!" he said. "Tallyho!" And he made his way deeper into the jungle.

"Wait! You're going the wrong way! That leads to the jungle!" she yelled after him.

"...I beg your pardon? You say that this path will only take me deeper into the deep, dark jungle?" he laughed, "Ho ho, yes, well it seems I am in your debt yet again, Gwen." He rushed toward the _actual_ exit. "This time, it is farewell for sure. Tallyhoooo!"

Gwen sighed again before looking up to the sky, seeing that it has gone dark so she decided to call it a day and returned back to Ribular Town.

**Ribular Town Hotel**

"Gwen!" said girl looked up to find her best friend waiting in their hotel floor. "Sorry, I took so long. I just suddenly decided to check out my room and promptly drifted to sleep once I crashed onto the soft bed."

"It's fine, T." Gwen assured. "I didn't dig up any fossils since I have to help this professor named Scatterly find something."

Todd sighed, "Well guess what happened to me? When I first went to my room, I found out that I have a crazy girl as a next-door-neighbor! She won't tell me her name, she wears this weird mask that she refuses to take off, and she's really annoying! Geez, I rather have you as my next-door than her."

"That's harsh, even for you, T. You just have to give her time to know you, maybe you'll like her one day." The blue-eyed boy made a disgusted face. "As a friend, Todd. Don't take it another way."

"Yeah, well. I hope your neighbor isn't as crazy as her. Well, G'night, Gwen! See you in the morning!"

"Goodnight, Todd!" Gwen waved before heading down the long hallway. She searched for her room number. "46... 46... 46... Oh, here it is!" Unlocking the door, she pushed it open to find her light-blue duffel bag is on the bed. Changing into her night wear which is a simple shirt and shorts, she went to bed, too tired to do anything else.


	5. The Monster of Jungle Labyrinth

_A/N: I forgot to mention this in the first few chapters but this story is inspired by Shaymin Marx's story so you might find a few elements similar but don't worry (and don't start accusing me of stealing ideas), this story will be different once the Cup is over. And when I say different, I mean completely different._

_The major hint of this change would be during the Cup's opening ceremony in Chapter 2 and the slight mentions of 'Fossil Fighters'._

**~Chapter 5: The Monster of Jungle Labyrinth~**

**Jungle Labyrinth**

The next morning, Gwen headed back into the jungle after eating a heavy breakfast. Once there, she started digging around before heading deeper into the woods.

"Hey! Hey, hey, hey!" yelled someone from behind her. Gwen turned and saw Todd running after her.

"Morning, Todd."

Todd snickered, "Morning, Gwen! Are you digging hard, or hardly digging? Hahaha!" Gwen giggled. "Oh, I heard that if you go deeper into the Jungle Labyrinth, you can find some really neat Fossil Rocks! And since we're both here, I was thinking we could go digging together!"

"Sure!" she nodded. The two friends had hardly taken two steps when they heard a scream. Two Fighters came running out from the bushes like their pants were on fire.

"Wha-what's wrong?" Todd asked nervously.

"B-back there, in the b-back! There's a terrible monster!" the first guy whined.

Todd looked like he was about to run off any second out of pure terror.

"It was chasing us like it wanted to eat us whole!" said the one in the red outfit, Cary. "…Or maybe it wanted to chew us first. Anyway, that isn't something I'm particularly interested in!"

Howard, Cary's blue-suited companion, spoke up in a voice filled with worry. "What if it decides to chase us? What if it comes HERE?!" At this, the two continued to run.

Gwen looked a bit skeptical, but Todd had an expression of even greater fear on his face. "M-monster?" he asked. "Heh heh… There's no such things as monsters, right? They must have been mistaken!"

A voice suddenly rang out into earshot. "Now see here, kids, but I gotta disagree." Gwen and Todd simultaneously turned to see a man with a ridiculous hairstyle and overcoat strutting towards them.

"Way I hear it, we've got a big ol' monster roamin' this here jungle," he continued on casually. "He's got a mean ol' face, and a temper to match. If he happens to find the two of you, he'll bite your little heads clean off!"

Todd started shaking in his boots. Gwen still looked skeptical and a bit suspicious. The man looked at each of them in turn and finished, "I'd avoid goin' any deeper into this ol' jungle unless you wanna get hurt, unh-hunh? Fossil rocks don't mean nothin' if some monster gets to chewin' on you." With that, the man left.

"Umm, Gwen?" Todd began, making the girl turned to him. "Maybe we should stop here for today and take a little break, you know? And not because I'm scared – my Vivosaurs could stomp that monster like a pancake! But there's lots of good rocks to be found right here!"

Gwen thought for a minute. Sure, the mentions of a monster did scare her a bit but she felt there's something fishy going on and she wanted to find out what it is.

"You go ahead, Todd. I'll continue deeper inside." Gwen said finally.

"Are you crazy?! What if that monster gobble you up like a tutti-fruitti sundae!" Todd exclaimed.

"It could be a rampaging Vivosaur, like that Allo two years ago. I can just calm it down like always." Gwen reasoned as she stepped into the jungle.

Sweat broke out on Todd's brow. "Yeah, well, all right. I'll g-go with you. B-but it's j-just that…" Todd suddenly clutched his stomach and moaned. "Oooooh! Oh, my stomach's killing me! I shouldn't have eaten that green tuna-fish sandwich for lunch…"

Gwen raised a brow. "But I thought you hate tuna."

His face went pale, "D-did I say tuna? I meant..._turkey_! Yes, it was a _turkey_ sandwich! Ooooowww..."

A sweat-drop later, Gwen took another step. "Ok, Todd, I'll go check it out on my own. You can stay here." He nodded as she stalked deeper into the Jungle Labyrinth.

**XXXX**

Gwen groaned after she tripped over _another_ tree root for the umpteenth time. Plucking the leaves and twigs off her hair, she walked deeper until she reached a sort of small clearing.

"Hey, Gwen! I'm feeling better now!" Gwen looked over her shoulder to see the green-clad boy. He winked, "Bet you were pretty lonely without me, huh? I mean, it's not like I was _scared_ or anything! No, that would never happen! Anyways, we've come a long way, haven't we?" Then the bushes behind them started rustling. "What's that?! Who's there?!" Todd yelled, shaking nervously. "…Just the wind! Yeah, that's it… or a wild boar. That would be OK, too."

Suddenly, a tall, pathetically skinny girl jumped out of the bushes. She had two massive pigtails colored bright pink and yellow, and wore a mask that looked like it belonged on a Chinese Dragon. "Hi, Todd!"

Todd screamed and ran, "WAAHH! M-M-MONSTER!"

"Did he just call me a monster?" asked the mystery girl, sounding like she had been personally offended. "'Cause that's kind of insulting. If you didn't notice, I happen to be in-CRED-ibly charming and beautiful."

'Your mask is a bit intimidating...' Gwen thought as she stared at the girl who kept ranting on. "Um, who are you anyways?"

"What?!" the girl cried, totally shocked. "Do you live under a rock?" This prompted an eye twitch. "…Fine, dig the wax out of your ears and listen up! I'm the one who will win the Caliosteo Cup and become the biggest teen idol in the world – I'm Pauleen!"

"_My, what boasting._" Tricera said.

When no answer came, Pauleen became flustered, or at least she looks to be, "Why are you looking at me like that? Is it the mask? Look, there's a very good reason I can't take this mask off. But trust me – I'm totally beautiful beneath it. People faint when I walk by, I'm serious."

Silence was looming over them as Gwen watched the girl ranted on. "Well, I told you my name, so what's yours?"

"I'm Gwen."

She raised her hands to her face, "Oooohhhh, so your Todd's friend! I'm his neighbor. He mentioned me to you, right?"

"He did."

Then Pauleen became solemn , "He doesn't like me, at least, I don't think he does."

Gwen sighed, "He's just kinda shy. He'll be fine once he gets to know you."

Pauleen then dropped her sad act, "Well, we can talk about that later. Did you hear about the monster that's running around the jungle?"

"Yeah... What of it?"

"Well, I'm going to fight it, and I'm going to win. Oh, you know what? How about you come along, Gwen?"

The girl nodded, thinking that this Pauleen wasn't so bad until... "That way you can see how awesome I am and tell everyone about your new teen-idol Fighter!"

'This is going to be a long day...'

**XXXX**

"I'm actually excited to see what this monster looks like. ...And I _KNOW_ it's excited to see me!"

Gwen sighed for the tenth time as she drowned out the ranting voice of the so-called teen-idol Fighter and tried to concentrate on finding that monster.

The journey finally ended in a somewhat darker portion of the Jungle Labyrinth. Trees crowded close together, blocking out almost all sunlight but let in enough to see ahead as the two girls searched for any signs of the monster. So far, nothing. Not even a footprint.

"Well, this is the deepest part of the jungle, but I don't see a monster anywhere!" Pauleen said to Gwen.

"Maybe it hide deeper?" Gwen inquired.

"GRAAAHHH!" A loud roar sounded out from the depths of the jungle. It was accompanied by a strange noise that sounded like a motor, and the cracking of shrubs and twigs.

The two girls turned towards the sound. "What was that?!" Pauleen said.

The sounds grew louder, and Gwen could just make out the silhouette of something trundling through the forest, crushing the undergrowth before it. Another roar emanated through the eerie darkness, and she felt a chill up her spine.

"AHA!" yelled Pauleen. "There it is!" She began to chase after the thing, Gwen following after only a moment's hesitation.

They caught up to it in a clearing, where the trees weren't as close and a little bit of light was able to reach the ground. With a jolt, Gwen caught sight of something sitting in the shadows, glowing eyes focused on the duo.

"Prepare to meet your doom at the hands of Pauleen, the most beautiful Fighter in the land!" Pauleen cried out, rushing forward. The monster rushed out as well, entering the sunlit glade, roaring at the top of its lungs.

When Gwen caught up to Pauleen and looked at the monster, she couldn't stop her mouth from twitching in contained laughter. The "monster" was easily the stupidest thing she had ever seen. Car headlights made up the eyes, while cardboard covered the rest. She could easily see a voice recorder hooked up to a microphone in its mouth.

"_That is the worst excuse of a monster!_" Shoni exclaimed.

All of a sudden, the pseudo-monster exploded, parts flying everywhere. Pauleen was knocked to the ground, and Gwen covered her face. When it was over, Gwen could see the head of the monster lying at her feet, roar petering out to a high-pitched whine that soon faded.

Two Fighters, one in brown and one in blue clothing, ran up and saw the damage. "Aw, man," said the one in blue. "The darned thing broke."

His companion stepped up next. "Well," he replied, totally ignoring the two girls. "It's been scaring off Fighters 24/7. I'm surprised it lasted this long."

Pauleen couldn't believe her ears. "Hold up! What's going on here? Are you telling me _you_ made this thing?"

Finally, the two Fighters took notice of the two girls standing there, one in shock and one in rage. "Yep. Me and Lee here built it ourselves." the one in brown chimed in, "And it worked really good, too. All the Fighters were too scared to come to this part of the jungle. That meant we could take all the fossil rocks we wanted! Pretty smart, huh?"

The one in blue, Lee, suddenly turned on Gwen and Pauleen. "Well, now you know our little secret, and we can't be having that, now can we?" he asked rhetorically. "Let's lock 'em up somewhere 'till they forget, eh, Jerry?"

Pauleen stomped down her foot in protest, "NOW HOLD IT RIGHT THERE! I deal with your fake monster, and I can even deal with your stupid names, but nobody, and I mean _nobody _locks me up!" She looked over at Gwen, "Let's take them down, Gwen! You take that Fighter, and I'll take this one!"

She nodded as she pulled out her Dino Medals. She sent out three of her Vivosaurs; Toba, Tricera, and Pendem, one of her newest Vivosaurs she found in Treasure Lake. It looks like a long-neck tortoise with a flat shell.

Jerry sent out his two – Nycto, a little pterosaur, and Anomalo, a strange, centipede-like creature with flippers instead of legs.

Gwen skipped her turn to save up FP so Jerry used this moment to attack.

"Anomalo Twist on Tricera!" he commanded. Anomalo quickly unleashed its attack, which did a good bit of damage to Tricera.

"Spin Attack on Nycto, Pendam!" the tortoise Vivosaur tucked into his shell before spinning rapidly and charging straight for the small flyer, earning a direct hit and a one-hit KO.

"Darn! Anomalo Twist once more!" the ancient Vivosaur spun a bit before charging at Tricera who luckily dodged and headbutted it back to its side of the field while Toba followed up with a strong Toba Drop. The small Vivosaur clucked once before reverting back into a Dino Medal.

"What?!" exclaimed Jerry, looking across to Lee, who had also lost against Pauleen. "Th-they're too tough!"

Suddenly, Stella's voice rang through the gloom of the forest behind them. "Pauleen, Gwen, are you all right?" She soon ran into view, followed by two members of the staff. "Hmm," Stella said, examining the 'monster', "A homemade monster? Now what could this be used for?" She glared at Jerry, who jumped. Gwen only took a few seconds to explain what had happened. "Interesting," murmured Stella. "So they were scaring off other Fighters in order to claim all of the fossils for themselves." Her attitude suddenly turned incredibly harsh. Both Jerry and Lee backed away instinctively. "Seize them!" Stella commanded the two staff members, and they chased them into the jungle.

"How did you find us?" Gwen asked.

"You have Todd to thank for my being here,Gwen. He came running to me in a panic, wailing about some monster that was going to shallow you whole." She turned and giggled at the rusty pile of metal, "I was expecting some kind of trouble, but... Well, not this. Still," she said encouragingly, "Fighters are now free to dig for fossil rocks here, so I suppose it all turned out all right. We owe the two of you our thanks."

The two attendants came back with the culprits, "We rounded up these two ruffians, Stella. What should we do with them?" She frowned and angry Stella came back out, "They're disqualified from the Caliosteo Cup, so throw them out of the park. I don't want to see their faces around here again!" then she lower her voice to a calmer volume, "And please send someone to collect the fake monster as evidence of their actions." The staff nodded before dragging them away. Stella followed suit, throwing over her shoulder, "See you later, Gwen. You too, Pauleen." Then she vanished into the Jungle Labyrinth.

Pauleen turned toward Gwen, head cocked to the side. She then straightened and said, "Hey, thanks for helping me out, Gwen. You're really good at this!"

Gwen blushed at the compliment, but before she could respond, Pauleen finished, "… Not as good as me, of course. But pretty good!"

"Hey, Gwen! You're alive!" came Todd's shout of joy, and then he came barreling out of the bushes. He suddenly caught sight of Pauleen, and jumped back about five feet. "EEEK! The monster's right here!"

Pauleen, boiling mad, stalked right up to Todd and yelled, "Stop calling me a monster, you idiot! My name is Pauleen!"

"Oooohhh. Wait, why wouldn't you tell me your name last night?"

"I did, but you bolted into your room before I could!"

"Well, I wouldn't have if you take off your mask!" Todd retorted back.

Pauleen suddenly became flustered. "Nope, I can't do it. I wear that mask for personal reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with you! Now good-bye!" She then ran off, deeper into the labyrinth.

"What kind of weirdo wears a mask for personal reasons?" asked Todd, somewhat amazed. Gwen just nervously laughed.

Gwen suddenly jumped at the high-pitched beeping of her Paleopager. "_Round 2 of the Caliosteo Cup will now begin,_" it said. "_Rockin' Billy has been selected as Dina's opponent. Please check in at Ribular Town's Fighter Station when fully prepared._"

Todd looked excited. "Round 2 is finally starting!" he said, eyes shining. "I'll meet you back at the Fighter Station, OK?" Before Gwen could answer, he tore off for Ribular Town.

Gwen shook her head before following after him in a calmer way.


	6. Hot And Rockin' Battles

**~Chapter 6: Hot And Rockin' Battles~**

**Ribular Town**

Walking into the Common Room, Gwen came face-to-face with her opponent – Rockin' Billy, the man with the bad haircut that had warned her and Todd about the "monster" in the Jungle Labyrinth.

"Seems that you proved that the monster was nothin' but a big ol' pussycat," he was saying. "That's some fine work, unh-hunh. Now I only got one more thing to say…"

His expression suddenly became menacing, nothing what Gwen had been expecting. "Why'd you have to go and do that?" he raged. "I had a plan to take all them rare fossils, and now it's ruined!"

"So you do have a plot in this." Gwen suspected. She had concluded that this whole monster shenanigan was a fake the moment this wannabe warned them from going into the jungle. If there is a monster as frightening as he says, why wasn't he scared or running away like the two she and Todd met outside the dark jungle? He seem too calm when he described the so-called monster, instead of trembling and shaking like a leaf.

"Yeah, that's right," continued Rockin' Billy. "I'm in cahoots with the two folks that ended up coolin' their heels in the hoosegow. So now I get a chance for revenge, and it's goin' to taste sweeter than Auntie Mable's pecan pie."

"Well, thanks to you. You scared the living daylights out of my best friend so I'll pay you back double!" Gwen growled. "No one threaten my friends!"

Rockin' Billy guffawed. "I'm gonna play you like a fiddle in a jug band, babaloo!" he laughed, and then the stadium doors opened. The duo stepped through, ready to do battle.

Once again, Gwen was greeted by the cheering of the crowd as she stepped into the Fossil Stadium. Walking to the left side of the battlefield, she turned and faced Rockin' Billy, who gave her a smug smirk from the other side. She returned it with a heated glare.

"_Welcome to the next match of Round 2 of the Caliosteo Cup!_" said Ty Ranno, who was again commentating on the battle. "_This time, we have Gwendolyn Hunter versus Rockin' Billy!_"

"_And it seems we have some heated tension between those two! Looks like we'll be seeing a boiling hot battle today!_" Trip said.

Rockin' Billy sent out his Vivosaurs first: there was the menacing Raja, the lazy Nigo, who emerged from its Dino Medal fast asleep, and the just plain weird-looking Parapu._  
_

Gwen sent out her usual team: Toba, Tricera and Shoni.

Gwen had the first turn and ordered a Running Smash to Raja. Raja roared in pain as the running tank made its mark – the critical hit had taken at least a third of his LP. The young teen chose to end her turn and save FP for another assault.

Rockin' Billy seemed to consider his options for a second. Then, he chose to end his turn without making an attack.

"_Looks like Rockin' Billy is saving up for BIG MOVES! Gwendolyn better take this Elvis wannabe down with all speed!_" Trip exclaimed.

"Alright. Toba, hit Parapu with Toba Drop!"

With a grunt, she galloped across the battlefield, reared up, and slammed her heavy weight on top of Parapu. The ammonite shrieked as it was crushed by Toba's foot, causing cracks to appear on the shell.

As Toba slowly retreated to her starting position, Rockin' Billy yelled, "Parapu, use Bewilder Beam on ol' Tricera!" Parapu responded with a high-pressure beam of water, shot from between its tentacles. The three-horns was hit so hard by the jet of water that she became confused.

"Take it easy, Tri." she whispered before commanding Shoni to use Torpedo Attack on Parapu. The dolphin Vivosaur charged in breakneck speed and scored a critical hit, knocking Parapu out of the fight. As its Dino Medal landed, the crowd cheered loudly.

Clenching his jaw, Rockin' Billy had Nigo and Raja attack with Nigo Stomp and Raja Fang, respectively. Both Shoni and Tricera were hit hard, but stayed on their feet.

The blue tank became angry and charged at Raja with Running Smash despite her confusion, depleting its LP to more than half. A Torpedo Attack from Shoni, and Raja hit the ground, slowly dissolving back into its Dino Medal.

One more hit from Rockin' Billy's Nigo took Gwen's Tricera out of the fight. "_Wow, the Vivosaurs are dropping like flies!_" shouted Trip.

Ty agreed, and said, "_It's Toba and Shoni from Gwendolyn's against Rockin' Billy's Nigo. Will Gwendolyn win this round or will Rockin' Billy turn the tide around?_"

"Ready, girls?" Gwen said.

"_Ready._" Toba nodded.

"_Ready when you are!_" Shoni jumped.

"Shoni, Snapping Jaws!" Shoni chattered before clamping her sharp teeth deep into Nigo's neck. "Toba Drop! Full Power!" Rockin' Billy widened his eyes in shock and fear as he knows what might happen when the girl specifically said that during the previous round. A pained bellow sounded as Nigo was crushed under the weight of the titanic Vivosaur. With a burst of white light, it retreated into its Dino Medal.

The crowd responded with a roar of loud cheering, as Gwen whooped in joy.

**Two Minutes Later**

Back in the main room of the Fighter Station, Gwen cornered Rockin' Billy. He looked simultaneously nervous and angry.

"Aw, possum spit! That ain't how the plan was supposed to go at all!" he raged. "I ain't gonna forget this, babaloo! I got my eye on you, and I'll see you fail if it's the last thing I do!" he swiftly turned away, "I'm gonna get you good, uh-hunh!"

"That's quite enough, Rockin' Billy!" came Stella's voice from elsewhere. Both Fighters turned to see her walking towards them. Even from that distance, Gwen could tell that she was NOT in a good mood as she instinctively backed away from Billy, silently pitying for having to face the woman's wrath. "That pair of fools we caught in the jungle couldn't wait to mention you as the head of their scheme! You're coming with me!" she seethed, just as mad as she had been earlier.

Rockin' Billy took a step back. "Time to go, unh-hunh!" he said quickly, and then turned tail and ran off. But Stella was grinning as he bumped directly into a group of staff members waiting for him. "There's no escape for you!" she shouted. The staff escorted him out the door.

As they took him away, Stella turned to Gwen, back to her cheery self. "Don't worry, Gwen. I'll make sure he's banished from these islands for good. That way you can concentrate on the Cup, ok?"

"Thank you."

"Here's your prize for clearing Round 2," she said, and handed Gwen a fossil rock. "That type of fossil rock can usually only be found by upgrading your sonar." She took her Fighter's License and stamped it, "You're officially Fighter Rank 3! Good luck in the next round!" she walked away and headed to where the staff members had went with Rockin' Billy.

Without warning, Todd came rushing up to Gwen. "Way to go, Gwen! You're already past two rounds! I know you're gonna win the Cup! You're amazing!"

"I'm just lucky..."

Suddenly, they heard the cheering of the crowd through the Fossil Stadium doors. Todd looked over to the direction of the noise, "Wow, the battle after yours must be finished already." he said.

"That was fast." Gwen replied, "How long was it? It couldn't have been over 5 minutes."

Todd happily jumped, "The winning Fighter must be really good!"

Then the winning announcement came on, "_The mysterious masked Fighter, Pauleen, has won in a masterful performance!_" Todd gasped.

"_Pauleen_, the masked freak, won?" Todd said with surprise

"That's rude, Todd." Gwen scolded.

The doors then opened to reveal Pauleen walking through. Almost instantly, she spotted the duo and sped over.

"Hey, Gwen. Hey, Todd." she greeted.

"Hi." Gwen greeted back while Todd just stand there with an unreadable expression.

"So, Gwen," she said haughtily. "It seems you got through Round 2, too! Congrats! Of course, you weren't as fast as me, but congratulations anyway!"

She sweat-dropped, "Thanks, Pauleen. That's very encouraging..."

Pauleen was still on a roll. "Don't get any big ideas about winning though. Because I'm going to be the most beautiful Champion there ever was! …Oh, and humble, too."

"_If she's humble, then I'm a Chelon's cousin._" Tricera said.

Todd, of course, was quick to leap to Gwen's defense. "Can it, sister!" he snapped. "Gwen isn't going to lose to a someone like you! And if you're so pretty, why don't you take off your mask and prove it?"

Pauleen jumped and waved her arms disapprovingly, "No, no, no, I _told_ you already! I have a personal reason for keeping this mask on. Anyways," she said, turning from Todd, "I probably have many fans waiting for my autograph so... bye!" she waved and scurried off outside.

Todd sighed. "She's not going to take that mask off, is she?"

"I don't think so..."

"You know," he said, "I bet she isn't even pretty under that mask! I bet she's _hideous!_"

Their Paleopagers then started beeping, "_All Round 2 matches of the Caliosteo Cup are complete. We also open a new dig site: Mt. Krakanak! This dig site is located on nearby Cranial Isle. Please board a helicopter if you wish to head to the island._"

Todd happily turned to me, "Gwen, let's go now! I want to be the first person to set foot in that dig site!" he ran to the door, "No one's gonna beat me!"

Gwen sighed before heading to the Cleaning Room to clean off some fossils she found in Jungle Labyrinth and the prized fossil. It was then her Paleopager started beeping again.

"_Fighter Gwendolyn Hunter? You have a fossil sent to you. Please proceed to the Fossil Lawn on the far right side of town._"

'A fossil for me? I wonder who it could be from.' Gwen thought as she exited the building and followed the direction to Fossil Lawn. A staff was standing by a large patch of grassy land. When he noticed her, he walked right up.

"Are you Gwendolyn?" she nodded. "You have a fossil sent by a 'Galen Hunter'." The girl silently gasped. Her brother sent her a fossil? The staff then proceeded to hand out two fossils before helping her placed them inside her backpack. "Take care, and good luck in the Cup."

Gwen nodded before heading back to Fossil Station, mind still whirling that her brother sent her not one but two fossils. She wondered what Vivosaurs are being contained inside those fossils and couldn't contain her glee as she heading inside the Cleaning Room.

**Cranial Isle**

It was mid-noon when Gwen stepped off of the helicopter and onto the ground. As the vehicle lifted off again, the wind that it whipped up caused her hair to fly into her face. When she had successfully brushed it away, she got her first good look at Cranial City.

It was very different from Ribular Town, and certainly not as lush or green. It seemed like it had been built on an arid wasteland. Everything was yellow, brown, and red, and the humidity was close to zero. Gwen felt glad that she had packed a couple of water bottles in advance.

"Welcome to Cranial Isle!" called a voice, and Gwen looked toward what seemed to be the Fighter Station. A man wearing a blue and yellow outfit similar to Stella's was walking toward her in a friendly manner.

"This is Cranial City, the land where heat and passion swirl! The name's Terry, and I'm the Staff Leader here on Cranial Isle." Gwen was about to introduce herself as well, when Terry cut her off. "You must be Gwen, right?" he asked, and grinned at her startled reaction.

No surprise since not only he knows her name but also uses her shortened name.

"Stella had a lot to say about you, you know. Word on the street is, not only did you pass through the first two rounds with flying colors, but you also took down some cheats who were scaring Fighters with a fake monster." Gwen nodded, a little embarrassed by having Terry list her accomplishments with such admiration. He whistled and continued, "Man, you are some kind of Fighter. Oh, I almost forgot! We installed Medal Bank features in all of the VMMs in the Caliosteo Fossil Park."

With a confused look in her eye, Gwen asked uncertainly, "Medal Bank?"

Terry chuckled and replied, "Yeah, it's quite a bit to wrap your head around, so I'll explain. Basically, if you already revived a Vivosaur, like T-Rex for example, and wanted to have two of them on your team, you would put one in the Bank and revive another T-Rex head for a second one! Sounds neat, huh?"

She nodded.

"Well, that's it for me. I look forward to seeing what you can do on our little island!" he waved goodbye. "See you around!" Terry saluted her in farewell and then walked off. Gwen was about to go to the Fighter Station to check if her belongings are there when she heard a familiar voice.

"I say, the CS Sonar is a right finicky device," the voice said, seemingly frustrated. "It has to be practically on top of a Slablet to get a reading!" Gwen turned at the mention of a Slablet and sure enough, Professor Nigel Scatterly was there, wandering around aimlessly and muttering to himself. As she approached, she heard him huff, "I'd have to explore dig sites in a slow, painstaking fashion, and I'm far too old for such tomfoolery… Just as well as that, I'm too fat to walk around for hours at a time. Perhaps I should lay off the pudding, wot wot?"

Gwen giggled to herself before calling out cheerfully, "Hello, Professor Scatterly!"

He jumped at least a foot in the air before he turned around and smiled. "Good heavens, if it isn't Gwen!" he boomed heartily. "I was hoping you'd make it to the shores of Cranial Isle someday!"

She nodded.

"Well, how does Cranial City find you? Does its unfamiliar layout confuse and befuddle you?"

"Not really..."

Professor Scatterly nodded back, not hearing her reply, "Yes, well, not to worry. I shall simply squire you about town as one scientific mind to another!" He pointed to a building at the far left, "As you may know, Cranial City has it's own Fossil Guild. It has a store so if you didn't pick up something in Ribular Town, you can simply buy it here!" He pointed to the next building, a large, reddish-brown, brick tower with palm trees and a river circling the base. "That building there contains the Fighter Station. Incidentally, the large building above the station is Wildwest Tower, home to the famous Joe Wildwest. Imagine," he said, turning back to me, "Building a tower above a station! The man must be mad for Fossil Fighting, wot wot?"

"Well, Joe is the owner of Caliosteo Park after all."

Professor Scatterly pointed to the building right behind him, "And here we have the crown jewel of Cranial Isle, if I do say so myself... The Caliosteo Museum!"

"Ah, you did mention the musuem when we first met." Gwen mentioned.

"Well, since you're so close and all, how about a tour of the museum? I would be delighted to have you as my special guest!" She nodded and followed the professor.

**XXXX**

"This," Professor Scatterly explained, "is the Caliosteo Museum, a gallery of rare and wonderful discoveries made on these very islands."

Gwen wandered around the museum, admiring the wonderful and strange discoveries within, such as the fossilized trees. Then she came to a table in the middle of it. Two familiar-looking slates were posed neatly on their display bases.

"Ah, yes! The newest addition to my collection, the Calio Slablet you helped me find!" the Professor exclaimed as he popped by the table. "I've added your name to the plaque here, as well as a proper translation so we can bask in all its glory and wonder."

"You didn't have to do that..." Gwen shyly said before looking at the slab on the far left. "So is this the first one?"

"Yes, of course. Let me read it for you." he adjusted his glasses, "Quite, now it says: _the Kingdom of Caliosteo was ruled by ZongaZonga. He was a sorcerer of overwhelming power and might. Such was his sorcery that when he issued a command, the people had no choice but to obey._" A silhouette of ZongaZonga was engraved next to the writing on the Slablet. The Professor continued, "_He even used strange magics to resurrect ancient beasts from fossils._" Once finished, he turned to Gwen. "Quite nice, yes? Of course, I'd give a kipper dinner if I could somehow find the full set of Slablets. They give us an invaluable look at the full history of these islands, you see."

"Maybe they'll tell us how did the king resurrect Vivosaurs." Gwen excitingly said.

Professor Scatterly chuckled while patting her head, "Yes, well. The Caliosteo Museum is always open. Stop by again for a spot of tea if you wish, Gwen."

"I will. Thank you, Professor Scatterly!"

"Tallyho! Have fun digging up fossils!"

**Mount Krakanak**

Gwen stopped as she finally reached the dig site, wiping away beads of sweat from her forehead. At least with the Jungle Labyrinth, there was a little humidity. Here at Mount Krakanak, it was terribly dry and even hotter in temperature. Though it shouldn't be surprising when the dig site is situated right at the base of a volcano.

"Hey, Gwen!" she looked up to find Todd by the rope bridge so she walked up to him.

"Hey, Todd."

"This place is awesome!" he said enthusiastically, hopping up and down. "There's so many fossil rocks that I've never even seen before! Go ahead and throw down your pickaxe! See what you find!"

"I was about to." Gwen said as she faced a direction. But before she could even touch her bag which held her pickaxe, she was interrupted by a cold and somewhat familiar voice.

"I knew that you were here by the way the air suddenly filled with high-pitched squeals of delight." they turned to find Rupert being followed by a purple robot similar-looking to KL-33N.

"_Hey, it's Mr. I'm-too-good-for-you! It's been a while since we last saw him!_" Shoni said, earning a scold from Toba.

Todd, at least, was willing to act friendly. "Hey Rupert!" he said. "Are you here to find fossil rocks for Round 3?"

Rupert shook his head exasperatedly. "Please don't sully me with such accusations," he sighed. "My Vivosaurs are already strong enough to win Round 3 with ease." Gwen could see Todd's smile twitching to a growl but kept it there as Rupert continued, "No, I simply came here to run some tests on a new product." He gestured to the robot behind him, which subsequently floated forward.

"This is Di66-R," Rupert introduced. "An automated excavation tool developed by FossilDig, Inc."

At his words, Di66-R bowed politely. "Greetings, sir or madam," it said in a monotone yet somehow warm voice. "I am Di66-R. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Rupert wore a smug smile on his face. "This robot contains built-in sonar and has the ability to excavate fossil rocks automatically. It is an important product for my company, which is why Father asked me to perform the field test. The sales potential of Di66-R are almost limitless. Why, when other Fighters see what it can do…"

At that moment, Di66-R started smoking, and its speech shuddered. "Di66-R will b-b-be releas-s-sed!" it stuttered, its voice growing increasingly out of control. "W-w-welcome, sir! Go, madam!" I am… I am-m-m-m-m…"

Suddenly, there was a muffled explosion and the acrid scent of burning metal. Di66-R abruptly stopped speaking and appeared to shut down entirely.

"Um, I'm going to take a guess that it's definitely not supposed to do that." Todd pointed out.

Rupert rolled his eyes, "Oh, what now?"

Di66-R responded with, "404 PAGE NOT FOUND! BAD COMMAND OR FILE NAME! ABORT RETRY FAIL!" Its voice became akin to fingernails on a chalkboard, and Gwen involuntarily covered her ears.

In a blur of motion, Di66-R slammed

Rupert walked up to it, but it smacked him aside with its metal claw and sped off towards the volcano. His foot twisted and he fell backwards, gripping his ankle. "No." he gasped, "...No! No, no, no, no, _NO!_ T-that idiot robot just ran off with my Dino Medals! It's programmed with an automatic Fossil Battle system... if.. oh.. I have to stop it!" he tried to get up, but fell back down, "Urg... my ankle.."

Todd stood next to him, "Don't try to move! You probably twisted your ankle and moving it will just cause you more pain."

Rupert's eyes showed how dreadful he felt, "You don't understand," he said, trying to keep his voice calm, "If Di66-R starts randomly battling strangers, there will be chaos! The reputation of my father's company would be stained forever! I have to.. stop.. Gnnnh!" he tried to heave himself up again, but gave up.

"Todd," Gwen said firmly. "You stay here with Rupert. I'm going ahead to stop that robot."

Before anyone could object, Gwen had already sped off after Di66-R. Rupert was confused as to why would she try to help him?

"Geez, there goes one of Gwen's reckless acts." Todd muttered before turning to Rupert. "Gwen's always like this. She tends to put others before herself, even though she's a little timid."

"But why would she try to help me?"

Todd scratched his head, trying to find the best explanation. "Let's just say, and I quote, 'I can't leave a distressed person alone.'"

**The Volcano**

Peeking around a boulder, Gwen caught sight of Di66-R. A vivid purple robot amidst gray and brown rocks isn't exactly hard to spot.

Without warning, Di66-R turned and met her gaze. "Green alert!" it screeched, the high-pitched, grating sound making her wince and her head throb. "Fighter located-ed-ed! Battle system i-i-i-initiated!"

So fast that Gwen wasn't even sure that it had moved, Di66-R whipped out three Dino Medals – a Brachio, Krypto, and Allo. It's an All-Neitral team, leaving no disadvantages.

She pulled out her team and nodded down at them. "Let's give it our best!"

**XXXX**

After what appeared to be an hour-long battle, Gwen finally came out as the victor. "Geez, that must have been the longest battle we had so far."

"_I'm pooped..._" Shoni said.

Di66-R suddenly started spasming again, making the girl go into defense. "SYSTEM FAILURE DETECTED! A WINNER IS YOU! REBOOT! REBOOT! REBOOT!" it whirred for a moment, then seemed to calm down, "...System restored. Reboot complete. Full functionality has been restored," it said in its normal, monotone voice.

Gwen breathed a sigh of relief. She was just about to say something when she heard Todd from farther down the slopes of the volcano.

"Way to go, Gwen!" he called. When he had reached her, Gwen caught sight of Rupert making his way up as well. He was a little shaky, but otherwise all right.

"… You did it?" he asked when he arrived. "You… stopped the robot?" His voice seemed a little more cautious.

Gwen nodded at his question and confirmed, "Di66-R is fully functional again."

He looked down in embarrassment, "Well, er... I mean to say... You should not have taken matters into your own hands, I'm sure I could have dealt with it myself..." he began.

"With that twisted ankle, you won't." Todd muttered under his breath. "You could hardly stand up without falling over."

The silver-haired male flushed a bit, obviously hearing Todd's rant "Still, I suppose you did… save my father's company from complete financial ruin. Very well, when we release Di66-R, I will see to it that you get the first one."

She shook her head, "Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to refuse."

He looked at her curiously, "Come on now, there's no need for hesitation. That's what field tests are for. I'm sure the bugs will be worked out and it will never do such a thing again. You... You will accept one, won't you?"

When Gwen shook her head again, you could clearly see confusion running in his eyes, "I... I don't understand.."

Todd rolled his eyes. "For a smart guy, you're really kind of dumb, you know that?" he scoffed – something Todd didn't ordinarily do. "We don't want a robot because it would take all the fun out of it! No fighter wants someone else to dig up fossil rocks, they want to do it themselves! Am I right, Gwen?"

At the girl's nod, Rupert became silent. "It's... fun? ...Fun. Hmm..." he seemed a bit troubled. He turned abruptly, "Come, Di66-R! We must be off." he limped down the slope with his robot following behind.

"Well, you're welcome." Todd huffed. "Still..." Todd turned to Gwen. "What took you so long? When you haven't come back for over fifteen minutes, Rupert and I climbed the volcano after you."

Gwen raised a brow at him, "Todd, try facing a Brachio that's even bigger than Toba, a Krypto that kept poisoning my Vivosaurs if it weren't for Ceros, and a fifty feet Tophis that could instant KO my team, then tell me how long that will take." That instantly shut him up, but not for long...

"Wait, since when did you get a Ceros?" Todd asked.

"From Galen. He sent the fossil through Fossil Cannon. Good thing too, or I won't be able to beat Di66-R." he nodded.

Todd yawned, "I don't know about you, but I'm going back to Cranial City for a little nap. Plus, it's kinda late." He pointed to the burning, sunset sky. "I'll meet you back there! See ya, Gwen!" He rushed off.

The girl watched the retreating boy before continuing digging for fossils until her backpack became too full that she retired back to the city.

**Cranial City**

Nearly the instant Gwen got into Cranial City, she could see that something was up. A bunch of Fighters were talking nervously to one another, occasionally making exaggerated gestures with their arms.

"Excuse me," said Gwen, walking into the middle of them. "What's going on here?" They all turned as one, faces grim.

"Someone just stole the Mammoth Vision video screen!" said a boy three years younger than her was.

Someone else commented, "I think they have a back-up unit, so it's OK. But still! Who'd want to steal something that big?"

Suddenly, one of the Fighters suddenly glanced up and pointed to the sky. "Hey!" she shouted out. "Here comes the Mammoth Vision now!" Gwen also looked up.

Indeed, the giant television screen was flying their way. Gwen didn't know what it was, but she seemed to be getting some kind of… ominous feeling of foreboding radiating from the screen.

Suddenly, the screen flickered on, and the crowd that had gathered gasped in shock and horror. Gwen, although certainly stunned, automatically assumed a battle-ready pose, expecting some kind of trouble.

"Fools!" boomed a voice from the speakers. "Bow before Don Boneyard, the one true leader of the BareBones Brigade!" The speaker was, from what Gwen could see, a talking skeleton wearing a crown and a huge cloak that covered his entire body. "Bwa ha!This park will be mine!" laughed Don Boneyard, certainly enjoying the sight of dozens of Fighters cowering in fear. "And forget digging at the volcano… for I have blocked the path! Your Cup will soon be no more!" Then he gave in to maniacal laughter that carried away into the distance as the Mammoth Vision screen slowly flew off.

"Gwen!" Said girl turned to find Todd, blue eyes widened in fear. "Hey! Did you see that? It was the leader of the BareBones Brigade! I-I mean, those guys are the biggest, baddest crime syndicate around! They're worse than the BB Bandits that used to be on Vivosaur Island!"

"I know, but what do they want the Cup for?" Gwen wondered.

Just then, a large blonde man came up to the large crowd, "Everyone! Ve have trouble!" the crowd turned as the french man scurried up the stairs in a frenzy.

"What kind of trouble?" she asked as the crowd gathered around.

"Mt Krakanak, it is no good. A large rock has... blocked it. I must get to dig site, but cannot. This rock, it is too large. You are Fighter, yes? You have... how you say? Axpick? Maybe you can break rock. Vlad tried to break, but... no good. You vill be doing this thing, yes? I vill tell Terry." With that, Vlad rushed off to the Fossil Station.

The Fighters in the crowd murmured noisily as they wondered who could break the rock. Gwen and Todd were a little ways from them as theypondered the same thing before the golden-blonde girl walked towards the blocked dig site.

"Gwen? Where are you going?" Todd asked.

"I'm going to Mt Krakanak to see if I can break the rock." Gwen explained.

"Huh?! You really think you can break the rock?" he exclaimed.

"It's worth the try." she reasoned.

"But what if the BareBones Brigade...?" Todd then grabbed his stomach. "Oooooooh! My stomach! It hurts again! ...I shouldn't have eaten that sushi from the discount cart." This time, Gwen rolled her eyes skyward. "You have to go without me, Gwen. I'll catch up when I feel better, ok?"

"_Actually, nobody asked you to come..._" Shoni muttered.


End file.
